Rumbling in the Deep: The Birth of the New Queen
by Junktruck98
Summary: Darkness stirs again in the depths, and Kait has found herself stranded deep beneath the earth, accompanied by the most queer of people. What is to come? What is to be done?
1. 1) The Escapade

_IN THE DARK WE SLUMBER, AND IN THE DARK WE RISE, WE SHAKE IN OUR SLEEP, AND WE CRAWL FORTH INTO THE LIGHT. THE WALLS, THE SPLIT. THE CAVERNS, THEY TREMBLE. THE CREATURES OF THE DARK FEAR US. THE FORAGERS OF THE DEEP SCOURGE US. NO MORE. NO MORE._

_SOON, THEY WILL SEE THEIR TRUE RULER. THEY WILL BOW TO THE SPLENDOUR OF OUR RACE. THEY WILL FEAR US, AND LOVE US. THEY WILL HATE US, AND SERVE US._

**Chapter 1**

The walls shook as the company ran deeper into the dungeon, their footsteps ringing down the darkness, and their temples throbbing from the adrenaline rush. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath, and fell to their feet, panting. Kait's hand instinctively darted to the back of her waist, her fingers feeling the familiar grip of her electric club. Comforted, she too, crumpled onto the floor. The darkness spiralled deeper and deeper, and none of the adventurers would've been able to count their fingers before them if not for the single torch they shared amongst them. For a long while, the three of them sat on the cold dirt and caught their breath. Apart from the constant, irritating dripping of water, and the deep long breaths of the three, it was dead silence.  
>The harsh crotchety voice of the man broke the silence, much to Kait's dislike, and they all sat up.<br>"The walls are thick, but they have ears. This room however, seems safe enough. We can rest."  
>"Who made you the bloody leader?" Retorted a sharp, fierce voice from the other corner. Kait realised this was the first time the young girl had spoken since they had met.<br>"He speaks wisely." to Kait's surprise, the words had come from her own mouth, and the other two simply nodded. They three of them leaned back down to their corners, and rested.

Amidst the snores of the old man, and the light whistling of the young girl, Kait's own thoughts were louder than all of them. Her mind drifted back and forth to earlier events, trying to make sense of everything that happened. It was only a short mining expedition, to collect more of the glowing blue mineral father wanted. Unfortunately her pick had struck against hard rock, and sparks flew, igniting veins of magnesium around the cave she was in. The walls ruptured and ripped apart like fabric, and putrid, pungent smoke had already begun to puff out. This was normal, of course, but what happened next was the most unexpected of all. A deep, evil voice had resonated into her head, a voice filled with such venom and hate that she stood still, terrified, breathing in the toxic gas. She perhaps even fancied a glowing red eye peeking in through the maws, staring at her, but her memories could only get hazier.

She had woken, later of course, to find herself in a strange maroon armchair, and to the sound of classical music playing in the background. Groggy and confused, she got up and rubbed her eyes, only to be hit with a wave of nausea and fell back into the chair. The man peeked in from around a corner and eyed her carefully.  
>"Sit." He had commanded her earlier. Fighting the urge to be rebellious to the stranger, Kait sat back down.<br>The old man later filled her in on how he had found her unconscious, lying on a bed of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Kait refused to believe this, of course, but decided to go with his story anyway.

Kait tightened her jacket around her as she shuddered to think of the words she had heard from the voice, earlier. It was almost painful to even think about it. Cradling her head in her knees, she fell into deep, deep slumber..


	2. 2) The Attack

**Chapter 2**

(Earlier that day, several hours back...)

As Kait examined more closely, she saw that the room she was in was indeed a house. A shack, more of. Her eyes drifted to the paintings on the walls, of the mythical mountains himalayas, that may or may not have existed a long time ago. A sharp klink pulled her vision back to the tall looming figure over her. The man had mysterious emerald green eyes, that peeked from beyond his shaggy mop of brown hair. He wore a crinkled trenchcoat and his face was just about as wrinkled. He looked about his mid-fifties, thought Kait.  
>"You need more rest. This will help you, do not fear." Kait uneasily nodded her head, thinking that if he had not bothered to bind her to the chair, he wouldn't hurt her anyway. Only a few seconds later, did she stifle a scream when she saw a bright green syringe sticking out of her left wrist. Her eyelids drooped... and drooped..<p>

(Present)

"Wake up, you lot! I hear footsteps!" A terrified, yet angry voice hissed from the corner. Kait and the man both jumped with a start, and her hand flew to her Electric Club. She swung it out before her, its slight buzzing and whizzing through the air temporarily muffling the pitter patter of tiny footsteps that was echoing down the hallway. The flickering glow from within Kait's club comforted the three, as the man and the young girl began to retreat behind Kait's tall, masculine figure. The footsteps grew louder, and louder, and Kait's grip grew tighter as she raised the club above her head, the head of the club emanating warmth.  
>"Screeeeehkk!"<br>"Oh no, more of those blasted creatures..."Kait muttered beneath her breath, but her words magnified in the huge cavern. Her finger slid to right beneath a valve in the club, and she twisted it, hard. The entire length of metal began to spark with furiousity that the creature, seemed almost to have retraced its steps back into the dark. Then her eyes widened as she realised what it was going to do.  
>"DUCK! NOW!" Kait threw her body backwards, slamming herself into the man and the young girl as a streak of red whippled through the air. Quickly, she rolled to her feet, her club whizzing and sparkling again, only to see that, to her dismay, she had failed to protect the young girl. The tentacled red scaly beast seemed to grow larger in size as it began to writhe about the face of the young girl, as it feasted on her blood, poisoning it and then consuming it. Kait stood still in shock, and fell to her knees, her club sputtering and dying out.<br>BANG  
>The cavern flashed a bright red and the terrapus fell backwards, tumbling onto the damp earth. The man stood, a revolver in his hand, still smoking from the shot he had made. To Kait's surprise, he no longer looked old and weary, but he stood tall in stature and his eyes shone in the dim light of the torch.<br>"Tend to her, quick."The harsh voice of the man snapped her back into reality as they both darted to the limp, lifeless figure of the young girl. Kait found her eyes welling with tears, as she looked at the dead, unseeing eyes of the terrapi. Slits on either side of the scaly head revealed elliptical pupils, a venomous stare that seemed to taunt Kait. A familiar, cold stare...

_"Daddy? Is mommy going to be okay?"_  
><em>"Go back to your room honey. Daddy'll come talk to you later.."<em>  
><em>"Daddy, what was that red thing? Why is mommy so pale?"<em>  
><em>"Please go back to your room honey.."<em>  
><em>"To the answer of your question daddy..."<em>  
><em>"Yes, sweetie.."<em>  
><em>"I love both you and mommy equally..Please don't fight anymore?"<em>

Kait put her hand upon the cold, clammy skin of the girl, painful memories distorting her vision as her tears fell unto the little girl she knew so little of. The man slumped down back onto the hard earth, and buried his face in his hands.  
>"Beeswax...Asphodel...Delphinium...Apostate...Scorpion toxin...Coxcomb and Tuberose... Three parts Apostate, and one of all the others..."<br>The face of the man reappeared from within his hands, but the voice had not come from him. Kait's face broke into an inappropriate, toothy grin.

The girl was alive.


	3. 3) The Lonely Goddess

**Chapter 3**

Kait and the man hurriedly darted about the cavern, plucking the materials the girl had requested to make the salve. As Kait was sifting through her wallet of herbs, her mind was rushing with flurries of thoughts. How could she be alive? Her own mother had been attacked by the terrapi before, and even the best witch-doctor in town couldn't save her. Pulling out a dried strand of asphodel petal, she quickly dropped to her knees beside the girl. The man had propped her up against the wall, and unbelievably, she was still perfectly conscious. She took the bundles of weed and flax from the hands of Kait and the man, and and started to crush the herbs in her hand. What happened next, Kait would never believe. The petals and herbs crushed under the pressure of the girl's weak fingers, and a light scented aroma began to waft out from between her fingers, overpowering the stench of the cave lichens and moisture. The girl then unfurled her fingers, and her entire body began to glow with a light that blinded Kait. She shielded her eyes with her forearm, and saw that the man had done the same. The glow grew brighter, and the cavern was illuminated under the magical light that was the Girl. To Kaits even greater surprise, the girl began to levitate off the surface of the floor, her hair shimmering and flowing mid air like waters in a creek. The light became bearable, and when Kait put her hand down, there was no longer a young girl standing there.

In her place, stood a tall and fair maiden, adorned in flowing white robes of silk and gold. Her hair was as dark as night, and danced playfully in the short gusts of wind that occasionally blew through the tunnel. Her eyes opened to reveal irises of gold, and Kait fell to her knees, confused and amazed by the splendour and beauty of the maiden that stood before her. The lady reached forward and lay her ghostly palms on Kait and the man, who had also fallen on one knee, and had his head bowed. As her fingers caressed across the tip of Kait's shoulders, she felt herself filled with strange warmth and light, and a smile flashed across her own face. Looking down at her own palms, Kait saw the cuts across her palms and the gashes on her shins magically healing and stitching themselves together, the dirt on her skin dissassipating. Looking across to the side, she saw the man's face grow young, and a long streak of gold in his shaggy brown hair had appeared. Feeling one hair behind her neck, she pulled her now long hair across her face, and saw that it too, had a streak of gold across it. The maiden then spoke, her voice ringing sweet and clear.

"_I am Lisa. I am the light, and the bane of darkness."_

The light from Lisa's skin had begun to fade, and Kait moved forward to help her as she her feet fell back onto the ground. The man did not stir from his position, and kept his head bowed as Lisa and Kait strode towards him.

_"Rise, Gwynedd, son of the Crow, Wielder of the first and last torch of Xorlievath."_

The man stood up, and his face was solemn and grieved as he looked upon the face of the lady Lisa. Kait's eyes drifted to the waist of the man, where the extinguished torch had been. In its place, was mounted a brass rod with numerous markings upon it, and its hilt was gilded with the finest gold she had ever seen. Gwynedd, who had introduced himself as Gwen to Kait, took a step back and pulled out the rod, and it burst into such a bright and dazzling flame. Gwynedd pulled the torch down to his side, and the flame grew smaller. He took a deep breath, and with the most charming and overwhelming of voices, he sang:

_Fair is the Goddess in the body of a child,  
>She walks upon the earth again.<br>When in great need she comes like the sun,  
>Her presence a comfort and ill will.<br>When the Sun rises, so will the Dark,  
>The Queen of Ghosts will stir in her sleep,<br>And wreak havoc amongst the deep._

His eyes welled with tears, and gazed upon the face of Lisa. Kait was taken aback by what he had sang, and even more so from what he said next.  
>"The legends. The legends are true. The Terrapus Queen will rise, and Lisa will come in times of dire need."<p> 


	4. 4) The Sight of Darkness

**Chapter 4**

The cavern once again reverted to its dull, black, boring state. The smell of mushrooms hovered in the air, and the trio stood, unmoving as the raspy voice of the wind slithered across the cavern walls. Kait was unsure of how to feel, her breath loud in the hollow darkness. She fell back to the floor, her golden streak of her hair glowing faintly. She gently closed her eyes, her mind replaying the entire encounter in her head, wishing it was all just a dream. She lifted her eyelids again, and saw that both Gwynedd and Lisa were looking at her with a concerned look on their face. Kait furrowed her brows, and she spat on the floor beside her. It must've been her blasted luck, to end up amongst these two, to meet people she hadn't wished to. Earlier, Gwen, now Gwynedd, had treated her of the slight intoxication and "hallucinations" she suffered. The two then left the little underground mining shack, only to be attacked by the scaly beasts. Running away, into a dungeon, they met the young girl squatted beside mushrooms, praying or something. She had refused to answer any questions directed at her, but ultimately the threat of the terrapi forced the trio to stay together.

"It is no longer safe for us to dwell here any longer. Terrapi leave a scent undetectable to humans, and there will be more of the creatures on their way." Kait looked up, and saw that Lisa already had a hand extended. Kait took it, and got up.

"So.. You're the Goddess from the songs?" Kait asked. Kait had never been one to believe in silly superstitions, nor did she believe in celestial beings that came from beyond this stinking realm of existence.

_"Indeed. Yet my coming brings ill news."_

"Ill news?"

_"When I walk this earth again, so will the Queen of Ghosts."_

"The Queen of Ghosts?" Kait thought aloud. "Sounds bad. Couldn't you simply destroy it with magic?"

_"Whilst I may be often referred to as a Goddess, I am really a mere angel, serving the higher powers. My powers are limited to summoning, cleansing, healing. I cannot interfere directly with the quest, too."_

"Quest? What Quest? I never agreed to any bloody quest!" Kait cried, her throat caught on some words that would not have been otherwise so nice.

_"You are frustrated. You are afraid. I understand."_ Lisa laid her hands upon Kait's shoulder, and the warmth filled her again. Her angry, negative feelings seemed almost to vanish completely. Fighting back tears and sobs, Kait nodded.

Gwen remained silent as he watched all of this, his torch blazing above his head. The cave pattern was relatively linear, and the trio decided to go further down. Little words were exchanged as they ventured forth, a silent tension seemed to buzz between them. Amidst the awkward silence, Kait decided to examine the cavern walls. Lichen and moss snaked around the stalactites that dotted the ceiling precariously. The walls were slowly getting more and more solid and dry, proof that they were only going deeper and deeper. The footsteps of the three echoed down the tunnels ominously, and Kait could take it no further. The questions in her head were swimming, dancing. Where were they going? What did they have to do? Who is the Queen of Ghosts? Why me?

_"All your questions will be answered in due time."_

The trio came to a halt, and Kait widened her eyes at Lisa, who was now turned and smiling at her. Gwen had turned around too, and he raised an eyebrow at the two women.

_"You think too loudly, Kait. My ears can hear more than just voices. The best answers are of those without a question, and the best sights to see are of those without the eyes." _Kait's head dropped as she stayed her gaze on the laces of her shoes. Lisa spoke of such unearthly wisdom, she felt her cheeks go red. The three continued walking, finally they came to a stop. Before where Gwen stood, was a massive canyon, so huge that three to 4 football fields could fit, and the gaping ravine extended far into the darkness on either side. Through the light of Gwen's torch, which seemed to burn brighter to his will, the three could see that there was no way to get to the other side.

Kait's eyes drew to the side of the opening, where the edge had runes inscribed into the cave wall. Treading lightly to the runes, Kait ran her fingers over the worn text, barely being able to make out what it said... "The best sights to see are those without the eyes." Kait spun around to face Lisa, who seemed to be glowing lightly again. Was Lisa psychic, too? Kait dismissed the thought as she beckoned the two towards her.

"It is a riddle."Gwynedd's voice echoed across the canyon. Lisa said nothing, but only gave a mysterious half-smile, directed at Kait. Kait found herself blushing, as she understood what it meant.

"Put out the torch, Gwynedd."

"Please, call me Gwen." Kait rolled her eyes at Gwen as he lower the torch to his side. As the light sputtered and grew dark, Kait began to wonder if she really understood the riddle. In the dark, Kait started to grow scared, as she began to grope around for the walls. Her swinging, terrified, hands found Lisa, and she held on to the slender, smooth arms of the angel.

"_Do not fear, Kait, but enjoy the view."_

Kait was confused for a moment, but as her eyes focused, she could see a pale, glowing, orange across where the chasm would be. She rubbed her eyes, but as she looked closer, the glow seemed to only grow bigger, and more spots of light began to appear. Soon, the entire wall of the opposite chasm was filled with glowing lights of every color, and only upon closer inspection did she understand what they were. They were houses, carved into the wall of the chasm, and there were people inside. Bridges extended outside the rock and were carved into it.

Millions of feet beneath the earth, deep in the dangerous dark, in the most unthinkable of places...

It was a city. An underground city.


	5. 5) The Trip

**Chapter 5**

Kait's mouth hung agape as she stared across the cavern. The lights themselves seemed to be swaying left and right, as she saw lanterns fixed upon the rope bridges that stretched precariously from hut to hut. To think that an entire civilisation had based itself deep beneath the earth, situated away from the horrors of the events that took place above the earth's surface.

"Its rude to stare. We don't wanna be rude now, do we?" A new voice had greeted them, followed by a sweet chuckle. Kait tilted her chin up, and saw that a grinning, upside down face was flashing it's teeth at the trio. The face belonged to a boy garbed in a mining outfit, similar to that of Kait's, but yet extremely different. Whilst Kait's suit had technology incorporated into its sleeves, the boy's suit was fashioned primitively, and the only sign that it was a mining suit was the pickaxe hung by the boy's waist.

"My name is Garbieleth! We've been watching you for a while now. Quite brave, the way you fought off the terrapi, I must say!" The boy's voice was cheery and it seemed to contrast with the dark gloominess of the cave, like the way a pickaxe would sound dragged across solid granite. The boy swung down from a ledge above, undaunted by the massive ravine below. Then, to the shock of the trio, Garbieleth swung out a hatchet from behind his back, and cleaved it down onto the floor beneath them. Gwen, Lisa, and Kait jumped back, startled. Garbalieth stood straight again, his hatchet still embedded in the rocky floor. The grin appeared again, and he took a step back, and jumped into the ravine. Kait's training kicked in as she darted forward, her body slamming into the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs. Her hand darted quickly around the wrist of Garbieleth, and she pulled him against the edge of the tunnel and the ravine.

"Oh, sod it. You ruined my opening act!" The boy whined as Kait heaved him back into the tunnel. He kept his lips pouted, and frowned at Kait in distaste.  
>"Ah well, looks like I'll have to do this the boring way then." Garbieleth then leaned his body on the ground and leaned forward into the ravine, seemingly operating controls that were beneath the tunnel they stood. As the boy worked, Kait examined the hatched he had cleaved into the floor closer. It's polished black hilt extruded from where the curved blade was, gleaming under the dim light of the cavern. She noticed that some runes were also inscribed into the side of the blade, and she knelt in an attempt to read it, when the boy's head peeked back up from the room below. She had not noticed that the Garbieleth had lowered his whole self down.<p>

"Ah, what did I say about staring, missus!" Kait tentatively took a step back behind Lisa, her cheeks slightly blushing when she realised that Garbieleth had taken off his top. Garbieleth clambered back up into the tunnel, and with a heave, pulled his hatched out of the ground. Where the hatchet was, stood instead a little slit of yellow, flickering light. So indeed there was a room below that they had not noticed earlier. Putting his shirt back on, Garbieleth then pulled out a little coil of rope from his waist pouch, and began tying it here and there. With Gwen's help, the two lads raised a wooden raft of sorts from the space below, and Kait noticed that Garbieleth had used the slit from his hatchet mark as a pulley system to lift the raft.

"Come on then, hop on!" Garbieleth said as he hopped onto the raft, which hobbled for a moment before laying still.  
>"That doesn't exactly look very safe.." Replied a worried Kait. She was tired from all the fighting and running, and certainly wasn't going to hop on to some rotting raft just because a really charming boy asked her to. Or perhaps she was...<p>

Reluctantly, Kait grabbed onto Garbieleth's forearm as he helped her across, and then Gwen and Lisa. Kait found herself silently scolding herself for trusting stranger after stranger, landing herself in the most queer of situations. Lisa eyed Kait with a smirk on her face, her piercing gaze reading into her mind. As they stood on the wooden raft, Kait could begin to understand how the mechanism worked. The raft was strung from one end, to another, leading from the room below to another spot higher in the darkness. What Kait could not understand was, how the raft was going to get them across the ravine. The boy soon easily clarified all her doubts.

"Hold on tight guys, this entrance hasn't been used in over two decades!" Garbelieth flashed the trio another toothy grin, and to Kait's dismay, he hefted his hatchet in his hand again. It took only milliseconds for Kait to realised what the metal edges beneath the raft were for. The hatchet went up, and then struck down onto the single rope that was holding the raft aloft. Gwen too, had understood what was going to happen, and grabbed Lisa's and Kait's hands, and pressed them into the wooden railings. The whole structure lurched forward sickeningly, and then fell completely.

"WHOOOOOOWHEEE!" Garbelieth cried as he kept a hand on his mining helmet to prevent it from tossing off into the dark. The raft tilted and twisted, and skidded onto a steep, steep, steep slope. Sparks flew as the bottom of the raft scraped and scratched across the gradient, and the speed of the car only grew faster and faster. Her heart in her mouth, Kait closed her eyes as she felt the slope straighten out, and then felt nothing at all. She opened her eyes, and they were sailing through the air. She had expected the feeling of freefall, as they pummelled to their certain doom, but she had missed the third mechanism of the raft. It was a zeppelin of sorts, and the parachute that had slowed their fall was now filling itself with hot air, and drifting, with the momentum of the launch, towards the town. The excitement and adrenaline began to die down in Kait's throat, as she released her death grip on the railing, crumpled onto the floor, asleep.


	6. 6) Into the Fray

**Chapter 6**

Kait roused to flying sparks and the ear-piercing screech of metal grinding across stone. She raised her eyelids groggily, and was temporarily blinded by the bright lights around them. Her hand was hastily grabbed by Gwen, who lifted her up and steadied her against the railing of the raft. As her eyes adjusted to the lights around them, she saw that they had successfully arrived at the other side of the ravine. The trio and Garbelieth was greeted by a noisy rabble, with adults and children alike, eyeing them strangely. What Kait immediately noticed, however, was the lack of men. Other than the elderly males, and the young children, no adults nor teenagers seemed present, apart from Garbelieth. Who stood beside the raft structure with his hands on his hips, in a strange manner of which a mother would chide a child.

"Well then, looks like its good bye, old friend." Garbalieth lamented to himself.  
>"Old friend? I barely know you!" Kait retorted, spinning around. To Kait's embarrassment, she realised that Garbelieth was addressing the wooden zeppelin. As weird as it seemed, Garbalieth was stroking the wood of the carrier, and only then did she realise the beauty of the structure. It's railings were covered in a beautiful brass finish, and the still inflated balloon was dancing under the searing heat of the suspended torch. Across the balloon was branded the words "Mossenweckar". Kait was overcome by a sudden sadness as she realised what Garbalieth was doing. The balloon had grounded itself in the middle of what seemed to be the main gathering area of the people of the town, and was teetering over the edge of the ravine by a little bit. Kait closed her eyes as she felt Garbelieth's deep attachment to the zeppelin, and opened them again to see him grit his teeth, and with a muddy boot, shove the structure off. It floated, slowly into the ravine, and began its slow, dark, descent. Without warning, the entire balloon burst into flames, and the words finely stitched into the fabric of the balloon were no more.<p>

"Sire! The terrapi are launching another attack!" A young man began weaving his way through the crowd, clad in strange armor. Garbalieth looked up, and the grin reappeared on his face, as if there was nothing that had ever bothered him in this world. Kait pondered about how a smile hides so much more than just joy, as her father would say. She felt wet tears streaming down her face as she remembered her aged father, and worried for him. Gwen and Lisa were exchanging words with Garbalieth when she looked up, and she wiped her face with the ends of her sleeves.

"Is it true? They come from above?" "I heard a disease wiped them all out!" "They might have it, we should scram before we fall sick!" "Nay, we should toss the bunch, even Garby there into the chasm!" The chatter from the crowd grew louder as Kait joined the three of them in their little discussion. From what Kait picked up from the hurriedly exchanged words, a legion of terrapi was attacking the town, known locally as Mossenweckar, and their men were doing all they could to defend it. Kait shuddered as she thought about the terrapus that had attacked them earlier. One of them was enough to cause such calamity, and yet this town was defending itself from a legion! Silently, Kait applauded them in her heart.

"_I can help. Lead me to them._" The sweet voice of Lisa spoke, and Garbalieth nodded, his grin once again stretched across his face. Spinning quickly, he held his palms above his head, and ushered the crowd to be quiet. Then with a voice that was unlike the child they had met, he barked at the crowd with ferocity, and respect at the same time.

"Indeed! These people have come from the surface, but they bear no hostility, and have even agreed to lend us aid!"

"What can they do? They're nothing but a man, and two women!"

"A Goddess stands amongst them! Now scatter!" A third voice of authority barked, and the chatter of the crowd hushed as they parted to give way to a third figure. The man was middle-aged, and clad in the classic red gown of royalty. Some things never change, thought Kait, as the man moved closer towards them. As his masculine figure drew closer, Kait noticed his moustache curled around his face malevolently, and his breath reeked of sour cream and onions. (Don't ask why)

"Come, we must head to the battlements. The army is approaching quickly, and their footsteps patter of our certain doom. We have faced attacks like these before, but never have we encountered so large a sum of terrapi. It is to my great regret and relief that you have arrived at such sorry times of our lonely city." Beckoning the trio to follow him, he ushered the crowd out of the way as he eyed Lisa carefully, seemingly fearful.

The group, now accompanied by Garbelieth, followed the man down the hallways. The man had introduced himself as Tjerlin, and Garbelieth's father. They continued down the hallways, their pace quickening with every step, as Tjerlin filled them in on the situation of their fighting force.

"We have only about 400 men healthy and battle-ready, and even now their morale is gloomy. I fear the worst, unless the Fair Lady can lend us her aid." As he said this, he shot a look at Lisa, his eyebrows furried in worry. Garbelieth himself even noticed how his father had been lacking sleep, the skin around his eyes sagging and darkening. Kait's thoughts had only been occupied by the confusion, that Garbelieth was the son of Royalty. She shook her head, shrugging off the thoughts of life above ground. Kait winced as she attempted to keep the worries of her own father out of her mind.

"Hey, you okay there?" Said Garbelieth, when he noticed Kait's pained expression. Kait blushed hotly as the boy lay his hand on her shoulder, her face unscrewing up and gazing into the features of Garbelieth's face. His eyes were sunk into his short forehead, and his nose was short but sharp like his fathers. He bore much resemblance to her friends above ground, and her face grew only redder when she realised she hadn't answer his question.

"I'm fine- oh I'm just, you know, uh- Have you ever-" Kait's sentence was cut short as she bumped into Gwynedd's back, who showed no concern. Squeezing between the few in the narrow corridor, she could see why. Where the corridor ended, was a massive, massive cavern, twice as tall as the ravine they had encountered earlier, and seemingly infinitely wider. The corridor forked left and right into the tops of huge stone walls that separated the massive cavern and the tunnels of Mossenwecker. However, it wasn't the sight of the large cavern, nor the lines and lines of archers poised with their bows ready on the walls, but the approaching army that rooted the company to their spots. An army of terrapi was coming over the distance, a carpet of glittering and glimmering red. Kait's eyes widened in shock- there could easily be over millions of terrapi marching towards them on their scaly tentacles right now.

Lisa, however, stepped forward.

Once again Lisa's body began to glow, filling the cavern with its pale, ghoulish light. Then, the luminescence began to flow towards the tip of her outstretched palm, right to the tip of her fingers. Lisa closed her eyes, and her lips fluttered like butterflies as she chanted in tongue that none of them could understand. The light focused more and more on Lisa's middle finger, and soon she was cradling a star in the palm of her hand. Lisa's eyes snapped open, her golden irises glowing in the light of the energy that emanated from her palm. With a cry, she tossed the light into the air, and it morphed into a glowing white crow, its wings reflecting glory as it seared through the battlements.

After flying about 50 feet away from the walls, the crow stopped, and let loose the most terrifying, and yet beautiful scream, echoing throughout the entire massive expanse, before bursting into flames, and igniting the whole cavern. Flames spewed from the staglatites that hung on the ceiling, and chunks of rocks began to fall onto the approaching, glimmering wave. Shrill cries were heard from across the field, and the most amazing thing happened. From the crevices of the walls, from the maws in the deep, and from the flames itself, crawled out clinking, shining, brass robots. Robots of every kind and shape, flying and crawling, armed to the teeth with blades and firearms, charging towards the army, ahead of the men of Mossenweckar, into the fray.

Lisa had summoned an army. An army of automata.


	7. 7) The Servant of the Dark

**Chapter 7**

Kait tentatively dipped her toe into the water, and satisfied with its temperature, she slunk her naked body into the ivory bathtub. The water rose up to her neck and she let her hair sink into the liquid, as it seeped into her skin, healing her and rejuvenating her. Kait had taken such baths before, in healing ichor of the Holy Vulture. Equivalent to unicorns, those majestic creatures were, and Kait had only been ever graced the sight of one once in her entire life, and that was when she was hardly eight. She remembered the great and large bird coming to perch on a willow tree in front of her. Her father had grabbed her and pulled her away, thinking it was a normal vulture, but it was too late before Kait could tell him that the deathly looking bird had golden irises. The image of the bird flashed back into Kaits mind, and she thought of Lisa the angel, who herself had golden irises.

_"Indeed, the vulture you saw then was one of my kind. The angels came down as birds of all sorts to bless and help the people of this earth as they fought through the apocalypse, but their efforts were rather futile when they found that the only way they could help was by sacrificing their blood. A single drop of their ichor, should it be dropped into a cup of poison, can allow a man to drink that poison safely. A single droplet is enough to purify acres and acres of land, and you humans use it for baths."_ The sweet melodic voice of Lisa trailed into the bathroom, and the angel stepped in, uninvited. She was garbed in green clothing, and seemed to have lost her glow and shine since she casted that spell of summoning. Her skin looked translucent and ghostly, and Lisa looked down at Kait with a frown on her face.

_"I'm only kidding! Angels have a sense of humor too, you know. The bath was quite refreshing."_ A half-smile once again appeared on the angel's face, and she chuckled a bit. Kait heaved a sigh of relief, but noticed a slight tense air of melancholy around the angel as she stepped out from the bath and clothed herself. Lisa excused herself from the bathhouse and she left through the doorway, making no sound of footsteps at all. Kait turned to see neatly folded garments on the side of the doorway, a deep greenish hue, not unlike the ones Lisa was wearing. Quickly, she clothed herself and made her way through the corridors to the hall where Tjerlin and his son awaited.

With a grunt, Kait pushed the gargantuan doors open and was greeted by the most pleasant smell of cooked food and the sight of countless dishes. Across the entire hall, stretched a long table, with the gold and red cloths of royalty strung across it as a tablecloth. The group huddled together on one end of the table closer to the end of the hall, and were chatting away merrily. Kait made her way awkwardly, unused to the stiffness of the clothing provided, and as she approached the group, their conversation drew louder.

"It is thanks to you that the city of Mossenweckar is safe!" Piped Tjerlin, the wrinkles around his eyes creasing as he smiled.

"Three cheers to Lisa!" Said an excited Garbelieth.

"Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, Hooray! Hip hip hip, Hooray!" Glasses clinked and drink splattered a little as Gwynedd and Lisa heartily toasted with the two. Kait drew up to them and pulled a seat next to Gwynedd, performing a small curtsy to Tjerlin before she sat.

"Ah, I see you have joined us, Miss Kait! Did you enjoy your bath?" Tjerlin's eyes bore into Kait as she nodded with a sheepish, but polite, smile. Tjerlin gestured for the trio to eat, and together the five of them feasted and drank and laughed into the night. Kait had countless amounts of tarts, something that she could only rarely eat above ground. As they spoke, she learnt of how Mossenweckar had come to be. In her head, she pieced together the garbled words of Tjerlin, and with the help of Garbelieth, she roughly understood the history of Mossenweckar. This deep regions of the earth had been valued for its abundance of a underground steam lines, and large veins of rare earth metals that could no longer be found in the upper regions of the earth's crust. Magesilver and Forbēodangold were mined down here, and soon a mining colony was established to save money from making trips into the mantle. When the apocalypse occured, the men in Mossenweckar shut off all connections to the lands above, and protected themselves from the attacks of terrapi by re-situating themselves into the side of a ravine. The large cavern that the trio saw earlier, was the result of aeons of mining. Kait's jaw dropped as she pieced together the story of the city, but was shocked back into reality when she heard a shout. She jumped out of her seat to see Gwynedd pulling his torch from within his sleeves, willing it to burst into flames as he stood to approach whatever he was shouting at. Then, Kait saw clearly what it was. From within the wall, groped out a pale, ghostly, translucent hand, and to Kait's horror, it pulled out an altogether demonic figure out from the wall.

_"Cursed revenant! I'm too weak to fight, Gwynedd, fire will not scare nor harm one of its kind. Kait, your club!"_ Lisa blurted out the words in a hurry as she quickly dragged Tjerlin and his son from their seats to the other side of the table. In a drunken stupor, Tjerlin cursed under his breath, and threw an apple at the revenant, which passed through the body of the ghost lazily before dropping to the floor. The revenant turned his red, glowing eyes onto the pale body of Lisa as she pushed back the members of the company.

"_Back, back! Don't let it touch you!"_ Lisa crouched in front of Tjerlin to stop him from doing anything foolish, and Kait whipped out her electric club, its humming filling the large hall. Looking at the blackened, rotten apple, Kait gulped and understood that it could only be wise to follow Lisa's advice. Kait paced around the revenant, which stood, or floated, rather, lazily staring at Kait, seemingly amused. Kait met it's eyes, and knew immediately that that was a mistake. It's glowing red eyes were a stare of darkness, and opened into a void of red fire and screams. Kait despaired as she gazed deeply into its eyes, unaware as the revenant floated closer towards her.

Lisa grit her teeth as the revenant worked its enchantment into Kait, drawing her soul out through its eyes and gorging its reckless spirit on it. In a split second decision, Lisa dashed forward and pushed Kait aside, knocking her out of the trance. In doing soul, the revenant growled in annoyance, and ran its claws through Lisa's chest. With a cry of pain, the angel fell to the floor, her lips turning a hue of horrible blue and her eyes lost its shine, almost glinting red like the revenant's. As the revenant approached the helpless angel, a comforting whizz sounded through the air as Kait swung the club into the head of the spectre, causing it to dissipate and disappear immediately. Quickly, Kait and Gwynedd ran to Lisa's side, but stopped short when Lisa held out her palm to stop them.

"_Do not touch me! Get back, something else is coming!" _As Lisa said so, the air around them began to crackle with energy, and started to warp and twist like a mirage. Then, a man cloaked in a deep blue robe stepped through thin air, and fell lightly on his toes in front of them. Wordlessly, Gwynedd and Kait stepped behind Lisa, whilst the man raised his staff and began chanting in an ancient tongue.. a tongue that Lisa could recognise. To Kait's horror, Lisa cried out in great distress as she used up the last reserves of her magic, holding out both her palms and blasting a faint golden light towards Kait and the rest, before falling to the floor, panting and fading in color. The golden light wrapped around Tjerlin, Garbelieth, Gwynedd, and Kait as a melodic tune began to play, and with a final blinding flash of light, the four were gone.

The old man smirked, as he was now the only one in the room with the angel, quickly dying.

"You cannot die just yet, Fair Lady, we might need you still." The harsh voiced croaked at Lisa's head, bowed in despair. Lisa could feel in the air around her, the staff lifting up, and the slight muttering of the lips of the man. Whilst she would normally be able to hear the thoughts of things, she could not hear the thoughts of this man. A servant of the darkness, perhaps. Then, Lisa's head shot backward and her body began to convulse as arcs of white energy began coursing through her body, working the spell of binding through her. This spell was of deep and ancient dark sorcery, a spell of artifact compression. As her life processes were slowing down, and her body shrinking, she looked up and saw the face of the old man beneath the hood. Lisa could no longer feel the blood rushing through her veins, nor her fading magic throbbing in her temples, and she looked down and saw that her fingers were already out of her sight. The old man bent over and picked up the little gilded statuette on the floor, feeling the last thoughts of the angel before she was compressed into an artifact.

_The face was of Gwynedd._

-End of Book 1-


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